


50 I Love Yous

by egosoffire



Series: Ironstrange Drabbles (ironstrangle tumblr) [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Fluff, I Love You, M/M, adoration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-10-01 00:00:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17233610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egosoffire/pseuds/egosoffire
Summary: Fifty times Stephen and Tony said "I Love You."Follow Up To 50 Kisses.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr @ ironstrangle for immediate updates.

**#1 - Because It’s True**

The first time Tony told Stephen he loved him isn’t too long after their first kiss. He understands that they haven’t been together long enough to say those three words. He knows the etiquette surrounding them. Yet, who the hell cares what’s socially acceptable? Tony has seen the people he loved change to ash in his arms. He has been through hell. Despite whatever social rule he might break, something allows him to say he loves someone when he feels it.

Stephen, bless him, just smiles. He does not judge, or even look too alarmed. “I love you too, Tony,” he says.

“You’re okay with how fast it is?” he asks, stammering on the words.

“I fell in love with you millions of times over,” the wizard responds. He looks away, a somber expression on his face. “I knew from that moment that no matter what universe I existed in, I would always love you. It’s not too early.”

“No?”

“It’s never too early for the truth.”

 

**#2 - Because He’s Good With Kids**

The child is seven years old and a huge Iron Man fan. Nervously, he stops in front of Tony wearing a t-shirt branded with a cartoonish version of the suit emblazoned across the front. Kneeling, Tony looks at the t-shirt with big eyes and the goofiest smile that Stephen has ever encountered. “Hey, I love that,” he declares with a grin. “Looks just like me.”

The child smiles, glows in fact.

“You’re my hero,” he says. “A lot of people in my class say you’re their hero, but I think you’re more my hero.”

“Well, definitely,” Tony replies, smirking. “They couldn’t be as awesome as you. What’s your name?”

“Eric. How... how are you so brave?”

He stammers out the question, the hesitant words of a child encountering a hero. Stephen looks curiously at Tony, eager to hear how his beloved answers.

“I close my eyes and I do the right thing,” Tony says. “As hard as it is, I always do the right thing. That means caring for and helping others. Anyone can do that if they try, really hard.”

The little boy smiles.

“I can do that.”

“I know,” Tony says, “because you’re a hero.” He suddenly moves over to the desk nearest them and digs through it. He plucks out a teeny little pin. Stephen’s seen them before. Any property Tony owns is crawling with them. They have a little Iron Man helmet in shimmering red. He fastens it to the boy’s t-shirt.

“By the stars, I love you,” Stephen whispers.

 

**#3 - Because He Asserts Himself**

As protective of Tony as Rhodey can be, Tony never imagined that his best friend would go and give the shovel talk to his boyfriend - especially when his boyfriend is the most powerful magic user in the world.

“I can understand your worries,” Stephen says with a warm expression on his face. He looks at Rhodey and Tony can see he’s one hundred percent serious, incredibly sincere. “Tony’s been through a lot, and I know you worry that he’s vulnerable.”

Tony pouted a bit from where he watched them. Vulnerable, really?

“Yeah, he is,” Rhodey replies. “He’s been through so much shit, and sometimes he has no idea how he’s supposed to be treated.”

“I see that,” Stephen says, “but I promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep him safe. I love him. I truly do love him, and I don’t take for granted the amount of love and strength that he has as a person. I will not let him fall.”

“Please don’t.”

“Oh my god,” Tony whispers. “I love you so much.”

 

**# 4 - Because He’s A Wizard**

As strange as his life has been, Tony finds magic a whole new level of weird. It amazes and fascinates him. Stephen is incredibly powerful, his magic is beautiful and Tony loves it on an intimate level. 

The magic explodes through the air, swirls of black and reflective gold. Stephen is not paying any attention to the magic that is floating around him as he works, a practice, a mental exercise according to his complicated magical jargon. Tony watches from the corner of the room, sitting in a chair, perched forward.

“I love you,” he whispers. How can he not love this beautiful man and the power that he possesses? He is Tony’s hero, plain and simple and the magic is a beauty all its own. “God I love you.”

**#5 - Because of Fear**

Stephen’s journey into the demonic realms had been harrowing, and the worst part was the fear that he would not make his way back. Even though the time stone had left him privy to information he might not have been otherwise, he still didn’t know the future. He could not predict what it brought. 

He could not predict anything. When he came back, broken, bloodied and exhausted, he merely fell into Tony’s arms.

“I was so afraid,” Tony whispered, hugging him close. “God, you can’t do that again. Please…”

It wasn’t until they were alone in Tony’s bedroom that Stephen said the three words that mattered. He was more coherent, his mind back to where it needed to be. “Tony,” he said softly, “I need you to know something.”

“What is it?” Tony asked, the words gentle. “Stephen, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said. “Tired, sore and a bit worse for wear, but I’ll be fine. I just need you to know something.”

“What is it?”

“I love you,” Stephen said, the words desperate. “I need you to know that I love you, no matter what happens. I would never leave you on purpose, it’s just that my job lends itself to risky situations and I…”

“Hey Strange.” Stephen found himself stopped by the look in Tony’s eyes. “I love you too. Lots.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**#6 - Because He’s Annoying**

Tony has been pestering Stephen all day. It’s just little things, poking and prodding and making absolutely idiotic comments while Stephen is in the middle of getting work done. “Are you finished yet?” Stephen asks, as Tony pesters him some more, sitting at his desk and rocking back and forth.

“Are you done working yet?” Tony asks, a gleam in his dark eyes that is absolutely alluring -- but Stephen isn’t going to let him know that. “I mean, seriously, even wizards need to take a break to be with their favorite people.”

“When you find my favorite person, let me know,” Stephen huffs, but he does close the book in front of him, waving a hand to send it floating back gently into the bookshelf at his left. 

“Oh man that’s still so cool,” Tony says with the wonder of a ten year old boy on Christmas morning. Then, he goes right back to being annoying. “You know I’m your boyfriend, right? That entitles me to some attention, doesn’t it?” 

Stephen groans out loud. “I love you,” he whispers, in spite of having no intention of saying those words.

Tony’s eyes light up. 

“You  _ love  _ me.” 

 

**#7 - Because of the First Night Together**

 

It isn’t that either of them is  _ inexperienced  _ in intimacy. No, both Stephen and Tony had their share of lovers before they’d come together, found each other. Both had loved, lost and lusted in their own way.

Yet there first night together is magic. In Tony’s mind, it’s proof of a higher power. In Stephen’s, it’s justification for all of the bullshit life has thrown at them both. It’s perfection in the form of two bodies, clutching tight to each other and holding on for dear life.

It’s a half hour before either of them comes down enough to speak. The high is blissful and Stephen holds onto Tony, shaky hands running over arms, legs and hips just to convince himself that the man in his arms is real.

“See something you like?” Tony asks, breaking the silence that had been lingering in the air. It’s so very Tony that Stephen laughs.

“I see something I love,” Stephen says, hands stopping and finding another spot, Tony’s face. “I also feel something I love with all of my heart.” 

  
  
  


**#8 - Because of Pain**

The pain of the curse had left Stephen a bit hysteric for awhile. Now, in the later stages of the curse, he was just exhausted. He lay prone in bed, Tony tucked up against him, doing everything possible to soothe him while it ran its course.

Tony was tireless in his comfort. It worried Stephen, when the pain ebbed off enough to allow him room to worry. He had begged Wong, in between sobs, not to let Tony make himself sick in his caretaking, but all of his friend’s abilities couldn’t pry Tony away.

“Tony…” he murmured, when he found a pocket of time wherein he could speak. “I think it’s starting to get a little better.” 

Tony turned and opened his eyes. His beloved had not been asleep, but who knew how long it had been since he last got some rest? “That’s good, beautiful. So good…” The relief on his face spoke of all he had been through. While Stephen’s body was destroying him, Tony’s mind had been doing the same. 

“I love you,” he whispered, pressing up into Tony’s side. Tony wrapped both arms around him, cradling him there.

Tony kissed the top of his head, a kiss that he swore eased the agony. “I love you too, Stephen.” 

**#9 - Because We’re Parents**

 

Tony isn’t sure when he and Stephen adopted a teenager, exactly. He’s pretty sure it started as early as the moment Peter snuck onto Thanos’ ship and Stephen laid eyes on him. Tony already cared about the kid, deeply, but seeing Stephen develop the same care had turned them into parents.

Peter pesters Stephen from time to time in the aftermath, because like Tony, the kid is fascinated by magic and everything related. He loves watching Stephen work. Tony pops in to make sure that Peter’s not being too irritating. 

What he finds makes him fall a little more in love. 

Peter is holding onto something, an intricate jar. He has both hands pressed flat to the glass, while a blue flame flickers inside. “Concentrate hard on the center,” he said softly. “What do you see?” 

“I see a forest or something like that,” Peter mutters, uncertain.

“Any people, or beings?” Stephen asks, curiosity in his voice. “It’s a look into a pocket dimension, this one. We’ve been watching it for signs of life, and there is a race of creatures living there. They’re very quiet though, and rarely speak.” 

“I see a bird.”

“Blue with red stripes?”

“Yes!”

“Aren’t they beautiful?”

Peter smiles. “Oh yes, they’re wonderful.”

The two enjoy their moment while Tony watches and the words “I love you,” escape him like a breath.

**#10 - Because We’re Engaged**

The engagement is more than a little terrifying. Tony doesn’t associate the best things with the idea of matrimony. His parents’ marriage was a sham, basically, and the idea of committing yourself to someone for life is heavy, even for a man like Tony, a man who knows that he’s with his soulmate.

“Are you sure you want to marry me?” Tony asks. 

Stephen gives him a look that could melt glass. The sorcerer does not take Tony’s self-deprecating nature very well. He loves Tony, he says, and he wants him to grow confident, certain that he matters, because he means everything to Stephen.

“I am certain,” Stephen says, a challenge in the words. “Are you telling me that there is a reason I shouldn’t be?”

“No, it’s just…”

Stephen leans over and presses his lips to Tony’s. The kiss is long, the press of it hard, as if Stephen is kissing Tony to shut him up.

“Then there is no reason to doubt that I want to marry you,” he says. “You are wonderful and I love you. End of story.”

“End of story,” he agrees. “I...I love you, Stephen.”


	3. Chapter 3

**#11 - Because We’re Nosy**

 

“They’re absolutely more than friends,” Stephen says, as he and Tony watch Ned and Peter. The two boys are sitting on the sofa, pressed up against each other. Their attention is on a video game, the colors of the tv reflecting on their faces. 

“Peter says no,” Tony nearly giggles. Yes, he giggles sometimes. Especially when the boy he considers an adoptive son is unaware of the obvious.

“Peter is a smart kid, but in social situations, he’s utterly clueless.” Stephen says these words without a hint of negativity. Peter is clueless and it’s adorable, and he loves the teen for what he considers the obliviousness of innocence. “I also talked to his friend, casually, and I don’t think he gets it either.”

“Is it creepy that we’re talking about our son this way?”

“Our son?” Stephen asks, raising an eyebrow. “Peter is our son now?”

“Well, he’s mine,” Tony says, no longer afraid of the fact that he absolutely adopted Spider-Man. “And I figure what's mine is going to be yours soon.”

Stephen laughs, a warm, comfortable laugh. “I love you.” 

 

**#12 - Because of Water**

 

The lake barely moves at all. The water lies so still and Tony positively loves the sight of it. Crystal clear, he leans over it and sees a reflection of himself, pressed close to the man he loves. “Look at us,” he laughs. “We’re so cute.”

Stephen leans over the edge of the dock and looks into the water. He can definitely see their reflection on the green water. He turns and looks to Tony with a quirked eyebrow. “Cute,” he said. “That’s the word you used?”

“Yeah, Strange, we’re cute,” Tony replies. “Get over it.”

Stephen leans over and kisses Tony earnestly, a grin crossing his face as he and Tony go toppling into the lake, Tony knocked off kilter by the force of his body pressed tight to the other man’s. 

They surface, Tony spitting water in his wizard’s face. The man he is going to marry wipes the water off of his face and draws Tony close. “You can swim, right?” Stephen asks, arms wrapped around Tony tightly.

“I can, but it’s cold!” Tony whines out the words.

Stephen rolls his eyes, and ever the show off, raises his hand and lifts Tony out of the water. Tony lands on the dock and instantly feels warmer, dry. 

“I love you Tony!” Stephen calls from the water.

  
  


**#13 - Because of a Conference**

 

After the conference is over, Tony can’t stop shaking. He’s spoken about his trauma before, but there’s something so absolutely  _ shattering  _ about admitting to PTSD, to confessing to the damage that had been done little by little to his psyche. He had been bold, impressive during the conference, but now he just wants to sleep for a year.

Stephen is waiting. He looks at Tony with sharp eyes, a posture that is ready to fight any bad guy that might come their way. Yet, there are no bad guys here, just unbelievable personal exhaustion.

“You did so well,” Stephen says, his hand on Tony’s shoulder. That hand is a comfort unlike anything he’s ever experienced. He closes his eyes and finds that he can rest when Stephen is touching him. 

The hug surprises him. Stephen isn’t the most affectionate in public, scared off by those who are always looking at Tony Stark. Tony does not want Stephen nervous; however, he embraces the man with all of his might. His Tony.

“Can we leave?” Tony asks, softly. “I have Happy outside with the car and a secret exit nobody should find. I just have to...leave.”

Stephen cloaks them in darkness and walks them out of the conference hall. “Of course, my love. Of course. I love you.” 

 

**#14 - Because of Adrenaline**

 

The battle had put him on edge, even if it wasn’t anything life threatening. He’s used to that, the way tension runs through his veins after a good one. Tony sees Stephen, a bit banged up and bruised but no worse for the wear and relief floods through him. It’s over, it’s done and they’ve won.

Stephen is kissing him before he can even step out of the blast area. The kiss is long, deep, coaxed out of him by adrenaline and he wants nothing more than to keep kissing the sorcerer forever.

“Can you guys stop making out and help me with the press?” Natasha asks, rolling her eyes. In spite of the harsh words and the glare behind them, he can see the slightest hint of a smile in her. The woman can’t help herself when it comes to Tony and Stephen. She, like everyone else, loves to see Tony as happy as he is.

“Fine,” Tony sighs, as he takes hold of Stephen’s hand. He then kisses it as they walk over to the idiotic press. “I love you, Stephen.”

“I love you too.”

 

**#15 - Because He’s Sleepy**

 

Watching Stephen sleep is one of Tony’s favorite pastimes. He knows that it could be perceived as creepy, but it’s totally not, because a) Stephen loves him and b) Stephen is the cutest thing in the entire universe.

Stephen tends to fall asleep on his back, but by the time he settles, he’s curled on his side, knees pulled up to his chest. The usual tension that Stephen holds near his eyes drops, and he tends to mutter to himself.

The mutterings rarely make  sense. He has a feeling most of them are magic related, although he’s only accidentally spell casted in his sleep twice, when he was really, really tired. Those times had been a little terrifying.

Stephen grumbles, and the sounds coming from his lips distinctly sound like “Tony.” 

“Right here babe,” he says. “And I love you.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**#16 - Because of a Wedding**

To say the wedding is surreal is an understatement. It’s small, it’s muted and yet it is the most magical thing that Tony has experienced in his life - short of his husband himself. In the moments after its completion, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he’s in shock. 

“You look like you’re not quite with me,” Stephen says. His expression is light, soft, as if all the pressures Stephen endures on the daily have just floated away. “Where’s your mind at, dear husband of mine?”

The word husband is delicious and Tony relishes in the taste. He had never imagined someone would call him husband and he decides, instantly, that he likes it.

“This is surreal.”

Stephen takes hold of his hand. His grasp is not usually so firm. “No,” he says with a slight quirk of his eyebrow. “It’s not.”

“It’s not?” Tony asks.

“No,” Stephen explains. “I’ve spent the last few years seeing every surreal thing there was to see. This is very much real.” 

“Sarcastic asshole.” Tony grins. “I love you.” 

**#17 - Because of a Skill**

Tony stares whenever Stephen does magic, and Stephen watches Tony work his own magic with the same awe. “It’s not the same,” Tony says, and Stephen can’t help shake his head. It isn’t the same, sure, but it’s still amazing.

He doesn’t go into the lab too often, because he doesn’t want to bother the genius at work. Of course, when Tony’s really working, he wouldn’t notice an explosion. No, really, he has missed one of those before…

When he does go into the lab, though, he sees something beautiful.

Tony is hunched over one of the robots, working on a piece of the robot’s...arm. It’s hard to say exactly what the appendage is, but Stephen’s pretty sure arm is the right word. “Now, c’mon let’s see, what have we got here… You really busted it, buddy.”

The robot whirs and beeps a soft sound. 

“It’s alright,” Tony grumbles. “I got the answer to your problem, thankfully.”

Tony made a few adjustments with a screwdriver, and then went over to a computer where he typed a few things down. Stephen starred with the expression of someone head-over-heels in love. 

“Yes, Doctor?” Tony asks, without looking up.

“I love you.”

**#18 - Because of a Surprise**

Tony steps through the portal, uncertain. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Stephen, but the whole idea of traveling magically is a little scary. “What’s going to…”

His words are cut off as he’s literally  _ wooshed  _ through the portal. It’s a bit of a trip and Tony stumbles as he walks out.

“Where are we?”

“Look around.”

Tony looks around him and then he realizes where they are. His eyes go wide and he looks onto an ocean that’s familiar, but familiar to a different Tony, a man who had long ago walked on this same land.

He had been a child then.

“We’re in Italy. We’re near…”

“The village your mother took you to,” Stephen fills in. “Her family property.”

“How did you do this?” Tony whispers.

“You’re not the only one with connections, Mr. Stark,” Stephen replies cooly. “I used a few of my own and pretty well, at tha…”

Tony cuts him off with a searing, dangerous kiss. He can hardly breathe, he’s so overjoyed. Stephen yelps a bit into his mouth and he finds that adorable. He doesn’t even know how Stephen knew about Italy. He knows, better than anyone, how crafty Stephen is, but he never imagined this level of craftiness.

“I love you,” he whispers, tears in his eyes.

**#19 - Because of a Daughter**

“It’s funny,” Tony says, as he and Stephen watch Savannah hard at work, a coloring page on the ground in front of her.

The girl is laying on her stomach, coloring the picture of a cat with a precision you don’t see in most toddlers. Sure, it’s messy, wiggly orange lines that go in and out of the box, but the part that’s strange is her concentration.

“What?” Stephen asks. “The fact that she absolutely looks like you when you’re working on something difficult?”

“She does?” Tony asks, caught off guard. He sits down on the sofa and tugs his sorcerer to sit beside him. Stephen falls gracefully at his side and they continue to watch their little girl’s relentless pursuit to fill the kitty cat with orange scribbles.

“She’s got that spark in her eyes,” Stephen says. “She’s even biting her lower lip like you do when you’re really frustrated.”

“Orange crayons are hard work,” Tony laughs, leaning on Stephen’s shoulder.

Savannah finishes in the next minute or two. She looks over the kitty with an assessing eye, one that does remind Tony a little bit about himself. He is the same way when he is trying to figure out whether or not something works - Savannah’s kitty is definitely working. 

“What you got there darling?” he asks. 

“Kitty! For my daddies!”

Then he looks at Stephen and whispers, “I love you both.”

**#20 - Because of a Son**

“You guys are amazing parents. You know that, right?” 

Peter’s words come out of nowhere. Savannah isn’t even with them, tucked tightly in her bed, no more fear of monsters there. She knows that she is protected by magic, real, literal magic. The teenager looks at them and smiles.

“Where’s this coming from, Peter?” Stephen asks. 

“Well, I mean, you guys are amazing with Savannah. She’s been through a lot of really hard things and she just...she loves you so much, and…” Peter stops, a little flustered, but continues, encouraged by the two men he considers fathers, “then there’s me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t remember my real dad very well,” Peter admits, looking a lot younger than his seventeen years. “I was only like five when he and my mom...you know. Then, Aunt May and Uncle Ben raised me and Uncle Ben did a really good job being like a dad, but…”

“It’s been hard, unstable,” Tony says. Stephen meets Tony’s eyes and understands. Tony may have grown up with everything, on paper, but he knows instability better than anyone. “We get that. We’ve been there.”

“Anyway, thank you,” Peter says.

Once the teen is gone, Tony sighs. It’s not a sad sound, just a little bit overwhelmed. “I had no idea we meant that much to him,” he admits. “I mean, I know we’ve been calling ourselves his dads for a long time now, but this is a lot.”

“Hey, I love you,” Stephen says. “And we’ve done good with both our kids.” 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

**#21 - Because of a New Year**

It’s New Years’ Eve. Tony can remember endless parties and guests and events that he held - yet, those seem like a past life. He’s a new person now and he’s got a husband, a daughter and even a strange teenage son with superpowers and super sass. He can’t exactly ask for more.

“I just got a call from Peter,” Stephen says. He has Savannah in his arms and the toddler is half-asleep against his shoulder. “He’s over at Ned’s house and they’re having a little thing with some of their friends…”

“I’m so glad that kid isn’t as much of a mess as I was at seventeen.” 

“Really now?” Stephen asks. “What were your parties like at his age, Mr. Stark?”

Tony laughs. 

“Well, imagine that you’re sixteen, seventeen years old,” he says. “Your parents don’t really pay you any mind unless you do something stupid. You have unlimited resources and people who would do anything for you, just because you’re rich. I also hadn’t really made friends with Rhodey yet.”

“Oh hell…”

Tony grins at that. “But now, things are so much better,” he says. “That kid is a million times smarter than me.”

“That, in itself is terrifying.” 

“Why don’t we go put this little girl in bed and ring the New Year in by ourselves?”

Stephen grins. “Sounds perfect.”

“And that is why I love you.” 

**#22 - Because of a Question**

“Why you love Daddy?” 

Savannah’s question is strange and stops Tony in his tracks, right in the middle of his thoughts. He looks at the toddler and wonders what she means by that. He scoops her up into his arms and she clings to his neck.

“I love him more than anything,” Tony says. “He’s my husband and your daddy.”

“Why?” Savannah asks, muttering the words against his shoulder. He pulls her back so he can look into her crystal clear blue eyes. “Why Daddy?”

“He’s special,” Tony says. He knows she’s a bit young for an involved explanation of love and why people did it, but she’s also so bright. “He saved me from bad stuff. He’s my hero and he’s the sweetest, bravest daddy in the whole wide world.”

Savannah seems to accept that. He can see in her eyes that she is processing the information. “That’s good,” she finally says. “Really good. I love you and I love daddy.” 

“I love you both so much.” 

**#23 - Because of a Reunion**

“How did it go?”

Stephen asks Tony the question and waits. If it went poorly, he’s going to do something about it. The war had been won, and Steve Rogers was back on American soil. Tony and Steve had made the decision to reunite, to talk about it and to make things better - or at least as better as could be.

“It was okay,” Tony says. He crosses their living room and sits on the sofa, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “Where’s Savannah?” 

“Nap time.”

“Oh,” Tony says. He yawns and then looks at the clock on the wall. “I didn’t even realize that it was nap time.”

“Things didn’t go badly?” Stephen asks. He does not want to push, but he wants the information. He wants to know if he has to drop Rogers into an alternate dimension, after all. 

“No,” Tony replies. “I mean...I’m not saying it went all that well. There was yelling and...stuff. Yet, it went as well as could be expected.” 

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I am okay,” Tony said, sounding almost surprised. “I think it’s time we move on. I don’t think he and I will ever look at each other the same. Or at least, I know I won’t look at him like I...yeah, you know what I mean.”

Stephen holds his hand. “I love you. I think that was incredibly brave of you, Tony.”

**#24 - Because of a Dog**

They are at the park with Savannah. A young woman walks by with a dog, a small, brown fluffy mix. Tony can’t identify many of the breeds, but he’s pretty sure she’s part chihuahua and then maybe something a bit fluffier. The dog immediately tugs at the girl’s leash, pulling her closer to where savannah and Tony play catch. Savannah pauses, the ball still in her hands. 

“Dog?” she asks curiously.

“Cute dog!” Tony declares, grinning. Stephen looks up from where he had been sitting on the nearby bench.

The girl, who looks to be in her early twenties, waves. “Hey,” she says. “She can pet her, if you guys want. Sadie loves kids. She might try to lick, but she won’t bite or anything.”

“Do you wanna pet the dog?” Stephen asks, getting up and walking over. He’s wary, even of a small, nice dog. Sue him, this is his little girl.

Savannah nods and shyly walks over. She pets the dog on the top of it’s head, gently.

The dog responds by immediately licking savannah’s cheek, jumping up. savannah stops, shocked, and then bursts into giggles. 

“Sadie!” the dog’s owner laughs.

“Sadie!” Savannah shrieks. 

“Our daughter is so cute,” Tony whispers.

Stephen nods, whispers “I love you,” and watches. 

**#25 - Because of a Gift**

“Did you know that it’s been a year?” Tony whispers, looking at Stephen with wide eyes.

Stephen nods at his words. “I’m not much with anniversaries,” he admits, “but even I know the anniversary of coming back from nothing. The moment we returned from the Soul Stone and I was able to touch you.”

“I was so broken,” Tony admitted. “You shocked me by pressing your lips to mine and just holding on like you’d never let go…”

“Well, time was rather different there,” Stephen explains, a sheepish look on his handsome face. “It seemed to drag forever. I didn’t quite exist in the same way that a person exists on this realm and I felt so much love, so much affection. I have lived thousands of lives with you. I knew you were the only one who I could love.” 

Tony handed Stephen a box. Inside was a piece of rock that had been lodged in his suit when he fled Titan with Nebula, afraid, overcome by loss. “I didn’t even mean to save it,” he said. “It got stuck in one of the Nano-plates of my suit. I spent days staring at it, cursing the fact that I’d made it home from there.”

“Now, you look at it differently?” Stephen said, picking up the specimen. “I take it that it’s not radioactive.” 

“No, it’s not radioactive,” Tony said, a grin on his face. “I just felt like I should give it to you, to let you know that we’re here. We made it back. We got married, we have a family. We’re...pretty awesome, Strange.”

“I love you, Tony.” 

  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**#26 - Because He Fixed It**

 

“Professional opinion?” Stephen asks, looking from Tony to the Sanctified Spear. The relic was damaged, probably beyond repair, but Tony had asked to look at it, before Stephen went crazy about an ancient relic straight out of Ancient Sumeria being damaged beyond repair. Yes, before he went to a magical expert, he had decided to go to another type of genius - his husband.

“My professional opinion is this thing looks like it was obliterated from the inside out,” Tony says, as he turns the item around in his hands. He touches it with a really delicate hand, like he’s afraid that it’s going to explode in between his fingers. “It looks like someone blew it up on a molecular level. How is it still in one piece?”

“You know, that’s a pretty accurate description of what happened to it.” Stephen frowns and looks the item over. “I’m not sure that it can be repaired. Do you think…”

“Do I have permission to take it apart?”

Stephen sighs a little at that. “I suppose it can’t get any worse,” he laughs. 

Two days later, Tony hands him a package wrapped in silver paper. On the item is a gaudy red bow that makes Stephen laugh. It’s so very Tony. He’s surprise the thing doesn’t burst into glitter and confetti in his hands. 

“What is this?” he asks. 

“Open it and find out, hot stuff.”

Stephen does so, obediently. Tony grins.

The Sanctified Spear looks better than before. In fact, Stephen thinks it probably looks better than it did initially. 

“What?” he whispers. “How did you do this?”

“For a magical item, the components were somewhat mechanical in nature,” Tony says. “So I worked a little bit of my magic.”

“Does it work?”

“It nearly burnt my hand off a few times. I wasn’t about to try it.”

So, Stephen picks the relic up and tries it out. A wave of energy passes through it and beams against the wall.

“I love you,” he declares, setting it aside to hug his favorite genius close.

 

**#27 - Because of a Dream**

 

The dream is strange. Stephen supposes it could be sad, but he actually finds it satisfying. In the night, he dreamt about he and Tony, old together, ending their lives wrapped up in each other. It is a goal of his, to grow old with Tony, but the surprising part is that the dream is crystal clear, even as he wakes.

“I dreamt of us,” Stephen says, leaning over in bed and looking into his beloved’s eyes. Brown, endless comfort in those eyes. Tony always makes him feel better, the warmth that he carries in a soul that has been battered so many times.

“Dreamt of us?” Tony asks, yawning. “What do you mean?”

“We were pretty old,” Stephen says, the words warm and featuring a slight smile. He’s nervous though. Maybe Tony doesn’t want to speak of mortality and their impending doom. After all, they’re still young enough and their daughter is a baby. “I’d say seventy, eighty years old.”

“Was I still hot?”

“You’ll always be hot,” Stephen chuckles. “Yeah, you were. We were pretty old and we were still together. Our lives were coming to a close, but there was no fear, no fighting it. It was peace. We knew we’d done good.”

“And we are doing good,” Tony says, eyes sobering up as he leans over and kisses Stephens’s neck. “I love you, Doc. I’m gonna make that dream a reality.”

“We both are.”

 

**#28 - Because of Food**

 

“You cooked?” Stephen asks, looking at the plate with a bit of skepticism. It’s not that he’s surprised Tony can cook, because the man is good at whatever he decides to do. He’s more surprised by the fact that Tony had chosen to cook. It was never a pursuit he’d seen his husband follow before. “Why?”

“I like to cook,” Tony says, shrugging. “I rarely get the chance to do it, but I enjoy the opportunity to do so.”

“What did you cook?”

Tony pulls a tray out of the oven. The thick aromatic scent reaches Stephen even before the visual. “Is that...shrimp?”

“Parmesan risotto with roasted shrimp,” he said. “Wong said you’re not a fan of seafood but love a good shrimp. Was that accurate?”

“You asked?”

“Well, I know the gist of what you like, but a lot of the things I learned to cook young contain fish.” Tony shrugs. “I hope you like it, beautiful.”

Stephen watches in awe as Tony finishes the food, plating it up with a hum and a wiggle of his backside. He sets the plates down on the table. 

“Try it.”

Stephen does, of course. He immediately grabs a fork and takes a big bite, dramatic, for Tony’s benefit. 

“Oh, I think I love you,” he intones, and he totally means it. Tony’s cooking is fantastic!

 

**#29 - Because it’s Cold**

 

The cold weather is nothing new to a pair of New York natives, but Tony and Stephen are freezing. “Get over here,” Stephen says, where he sits on the sofa. The Cloak of Levitation, his beloved companion, is wrapped around his shoulders and barely peeking out from under a fluffy blue blanket.

 

Tony joins the two of them, grinning. “Cloak had to get involved?” he asks, as he pets the sentient being on the top of its “head.” The Cloak used to freak him out, but now it’s just part of an extended family. He and Stephen have a daughter (adopted legally), a son (adopted informally) and a cloak (just decided to be family.) 

Tony quickly joins them under the blanket, the cloak tightening around his arm to pull him in. “Are we going to spend the rest of the day like this?” he asks. 

“Are you objecting?” Stephen retorts. 

“No,” Tony laughs, nuzzling into Stephen’s neck and making him squeak.

“You’re freezing!”

“I know, and you love me.”

“I do.”

 

**#30 - Because He Isn’t Paying Attention**

 

Tony is the funniest thing when he’s  _ in the zone.  _ He is able to focus on his work and block out anything else. He can close his mind to the rest of the world and work, get what he needs to do done.

“You know, I love you Tony,” Stephen says, and Tony grunts a response. He knows, for a fact, that his beloved isn’t paying him any attention whatsoever. He’s deep in that realm that makes him an actual genius. “I love the way your nose scrunches when you’re frustrated, and the way you’re biting your lip right now.”

Tony works, uninterrupted.

“I love your smile, and the way that you’re selfless to a fault. The way that you give everyone your whole heart.” 

Tony sighs and looks up. Their eyes meet.

“I love you too, darling,” he says.


	7. Chapter 7

 

**#31- Because He’s Elsewhere.**

The first time Stephen left his body, Tony stared at him for hours, shuddering, creeped out beyond belief. It was hard for someone, especially someone with anxiety like his, to watch as the love of his life left his body behind.

Many times, when Stephen projected along the astral plane, his body appeared dead. It was breathing, sure, but it was so unnaturally still. It was abnormal, and it freaked him out at his core.

After over a year of love, a marriage and a family, he finds that he’s less unnerved by it. He sits by Stephen and holds his hand, examining the scarred flesh of his palm with gentle eyes. He draws Stephen’s hand to his lips and kisses it lightly.

“I hope you’re kicking ass, wherever you are,” he whispers. “I love you.”

 

**32 - Because of a Present**

“I made you a present.”

Savannah says those words with an earnest smile. Stephen sees a mischief in her eyes that reminds him of Tony in a way that is staggering. She looks so happy and like so much trouble.

“You did?” he asks. “What is it?”

“I can’t tell you,” she says with a shake of her head. “It’s for your birthday.”

“Do you know when my birthday is?” Stephen asks. He swoops her up into his arms and she clings extra tight. At first, he had been afraid to pick her up, afraid he’d drop her, but Savanna is smart and knows to cling extra tightly to compensate for his lack of grip.

“Yuh-huh,” she says. “It’s this weekend. Daddy said so.”

“He is right.”

“Will you like it?”

“I will love it.”

His birthday rolls around on Saturday. Savanna is bouncing against Tony’s leg, clinging to his pant leg and looking at Stephen. “Is it time?” she asks Tony impatiently. “I gotta show him.”

“I think we should do presents first,” Tony says.

“I agree,” Peter chuckles from where he’s watching, leaning against the edge of the sofa. “Come on, Doctor Dad. Savanna’s got a present for you.”

Stephen sits on the sofa that Peter leans on. He looks over at Savanna.

“Can I?” she asks Tony.

Savanna goes behind the countertop and pulls out a package. It’s wrapped neatly, with a looping bow around a tiny box.

Stephen opens the box carefully. He sets the paper aside and opens it.

Inside is a beaded necklace, made of chunky red and gold beads. The beads at the middle spell out D-A-D.”

“She wanted to spell out daddy, but the connotations creep me out nowadays,” Tony teases. “And I know you will wear it every single day.”

“Doesn’t keep you from calling me that at times,” Stephen retorts.

Stephen rolls his eyes and tugs Savanna into his arms. “Sweetie!” he gasps. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life! I love it so much!”

“Wear it?”

“Help me?”

With the grace of a toddler, Savanna loops it around his neck. Stephen can feel his hair sticking up at all sides.

“I love you,” he whispers to his little family.

**#33 - Because of anger**

 

There’s no denying that Peter is brave. His heart is also pure, and he loves the people at his side with an intensity that Tony will always admire. The issue with the young superhero, however, is that he’s reckless. He has less self-preservation skills than Tony, which is really saying something.

“What the hell was going through your head?” he asks, desperately. “I can’t begin to understand…”

The teenage superhero looks aghast at his words. “You would have done the same thing,” he says in his own desperate defense. “I didn’t have time to form a battle plan - and it worked out.”

“You got hurt.”

Peter looks at him, sympathy in eyes that are both so young and a little too old for his age. “I got hurt,” he agrees. “It’s part of the job. It will happen. I’m just lucky that I’m a little more durable than most people.”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

Peter still looks a little bothered. “I promise that I’ll try my best to not get hurt,” he says. “I know that it can’t be easy.”

“It’s not. I love you and it scares me.”

“I love you too, Mr. Stark. Always.”

After explaining the situation to Stephen, Tony settles on the sofa next to his husband, head nestled into his shoulder.  “That kid will be the death of me,” Tony murmurs, breathing in the scent that’s so uniquely Stephen, a warm, earthy one. It makes him happy.

“He’s so much like you, Tony,” he says. “So like me too.”

“I know. I don’t like that. We’re enough recklessness for one family.”

“I love you, Tony. Peter does too. It’s just... how things are.”

 

**#34 - Because of babysitters**

 

The Avengers first battle as a team in years is at least mildly successful. The small team of  _ supervillains  _ weren’t Thanos level, or even Loki level, but they held their own. Tony was bumped around, sore, tired and yet he was successful.

“That went well,” Natasha murmurs, a tentative smile on her face. Tony returns it. He knows she was just as uneasy as he was about bringing the old gang back together.

“It did.”

“You and Stephen both fought. Where’s the baby?”

Tony laughs at that, rubbing a hand over his bruised cheek. “Don’t let Savannah hear you calling her a baby,” he says. “She’s going through that phase where she is a big girl and nothing else is acceptable, Auntie Natasha.”

“Clint had to deal with that with Lila too. Little girls don’t want to be seen as so little.”

Tony nods. “And she was with the Young Avengers,” he says.

“Those kids in training?”

“Mhm. I set up a camera in the suit so they could watch and observe. They’re our next generation, Natasha.”

“And your babysitters,” she laughs.

“Hey, how can they take down a supervillain if they can’t handle a toddler with attitude?”

“Well, Stephen is a nice addition to the team,” Natasha admits. “Did you see the footage?”

Tony shakes his head. He hadn’t exactly had a moment’s peace to review the battle footage.

Natasha touches her wrist projector and Stephen, fighting back the bad guy with a whip of pure light appears in a hologram. He works alongside Sam, who takes the villain he whips backwards, lifting him into the air and hoisting him into the building, where Stephen’s whip of light converts into unbreakable bonds.

“Damn,” Tony whispers. “I love that man.”

**#35 - Because of a future**

 

“I want to retire.”

Tony says the words so suddenly that Stephen almost doesn’t catch them, understand their significance. Then, they hit his mind, fully register and he blinks.

“Do you think you can?” he asks.

“I mean, it’s not that I want to give up the game,” Tony amends. “I want to keep creating the Avengers’ tech. I’ll be doing that until I’m long gone. I want... I want out of the physical fight. I want to help Pepper with the company, help the Young Avengers. I don’t want out, I just want…”

“Out of the line of fire,” Stephen murmurs, nodding. “Tony, I agree with your decision, entirely.”

“You don’t think it’s…”

“What?”

“Cowardly?” Tony says, the word turning up into a question. “I mean, I can’t ask my own kid to fight and not be there…”

“But you are there,” Stephen points out. “Like you said, you will stay our genius. You will be creating and upgrading until you are long gone…”

“But…”

“You’ve suffered more than anyone, Tony,” Stephen whispers, his words soft. “You deserve rest.  You deserve time with our daughter.”

“What about you?”

“I have a feeling that my time for retirement will come, and not too far into the future,” he said. “I want to hold out a little longer. The universe needs me as Sorcerer Supreme, but I also want to scale back…”

“Scale back…”

“Let the Young Avengers handle it when I can,” he murmured. “Assist, consult. Pull back and allow the next generation to thrive.”

“You’re really okay with this?”

“I am. And I love you.”

  
  
  



	8. Chapter 8

**#36 - Because of a New Home**

“This house is beautiful,” Stephen says. They’re both aware of the fact that Tony could buy any house in the world, but there’s something simple about the little house - it’s more of a cottage, in Stephen’s mind, isolated, protected. “Tony, I can’t believe that you did this…”

“It’s simple, isn’t it?” Tony appreciates the house more than he can say. He’s never had a chance to live in a simple home, but he’s also never had the chance to have a real family. Now, he feels blessed enough to have most. “Nothing’s ever going to be perfect with me being who I am, but it’s also private. I want Savanna to grow up as normal as she possibly can. With us living here most of the time, she gets some normal.”

“It’s not too far from the city,” Stephen says with a considering nod. “With our abilities we can get there instantly if something arises.”

Tony nods. He knows Stephen better than anyone, and his husband is very good at following his trains of thought. 

“Do you think she’d like it here?” Tony asks. 

“Is there a backyard?”

Tony answers by taking Stephen around the house. Although it is no luxury mansion, the new Stark-Strange pad does have a generous backyard. Savannah is active, incredibly active and needs the moving room as much as any kid her age. 

“It’s so cute,” Stephen says, blushing over the word, but there really isn’t much of a better one. “I can’t believe that’s the only word I can find. It’s cute.”

“I love you so much,” Tony murmurs, walking through the backyard. Tony can only follow as he steps onto a back porch and opens the door. “I love you, and I love our little girl. Savannah and you deserve the whole wide world.”

“Let’s stick to this beautiful house,” Stephen replies.

 

**#37 - Because of Fears**

“Sometimes I feel like fear runs my life,” Tony murmurs, as he cleans the cut on Stephen’s forehead. His husband came out of his last battle alive, but a little banged up. Even Savannah had been concerned by her beloved father’s ‘owies.’ “I’m always afraid, Stephen...always.”

Stephen looks up, sympathy in his eyes. He knows how bad his husband’s anxiety can be. He can’t exactly blame him, or call it irrational when many of Tony’s fears are rooted in reality. His family is one made up of extraordinary people who got hurt -- easily.

“I wish I could make it better,” Stephen says, the words soft, almost deflated. “I didn’t mean to get thrown about like that.”

“I know you didn’t.”

Stephen presses his face into Tony’s shoulder once he’s sure that his husband is done. He lets out a long, desperate exhale. “I love you,” he says. “I wish I could tell you that you had nothing to worry about.”

“I know. But we’ll be okay.” 

 

**#38 - Because of a birthday**

Stephen looks around the yard, a smile on his face. The party, at their private home, is adorable. The entire backyard is decked out in a pirate theme (Savannah’s current favorite). Tony even bought a large bounce-castle shaped like a pirate ship. He’s pretty sure the birthday girl herself is in their bouncing away, as they await their guests.

“This is ridiculous,” Stephen laughs. “It’s ridiculous and I love it.”

“Ridiculous is the perfect word for many parts of parenthood,” Tony teases, a glint in his eye. “It’s a wonderful form of ridiculous, Doctor Strange.”

“It really is,” Stephen says, as he watches Peter greet two toddlers, friends that Savanna made at the local preschool. 

“Is Peter wearing an eyepatch?” Tony asks, smirking.

“He says that it’d be a shame not to commit fully to the role.”

“You’re going to have to doctor him when he falls off of the porch.”

The party is small, but there’s an aura of happiness that makes him feel warm, comfortable. Some of Savannah’s preschool friends, the Avengers and their little makeshift family. That’s all he needs to be happy.

“I love you,” Tony tells Stephen. 

 

**#39 - Because of a graduation**

“Look at you, Parker, you’re a high school graduate,” Tony declares. He clasps Peter on the shoulder, proud of his son. It’s the first in a series of successes that Peter will have. “How does it feel?”

Peter blushes almost as red as his graduation gown. 

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he says. 

“Then I hope you’re ready to see the balloons your aunt is coming over with.”

May arrives then with a gigantic bouquet of balloons in red and blue. The most prominent, of course, is a gigantic Spiderman balloon from the local party store.

“Oh god…” Peter groans, shaking his head. Tony can tell that he’s wondering if those he loved could get any more ridiculous. He’d say no, but they were always surprising themselves in that area. “Aunt May!”

Stephen wraps his arm around Tony as Peter and his aunt walk off, getting caught up in a conversation. “Proud of him?” he asks gently.

“I don’t think I could be prouder. Peter’s been through so much. The fact that he made it here, to his graduation, in one piece speaks volumes about that kid’s character.”

“I’m so glad he’s part of our family,” Stephen whispers, far more publicly affectionate than usual. He nuzzles Tony’s neck. “I love you so much, Tony.”

**#40 - Because of retirement**

Retirement is pretty nice for Tony Stark. He’s a man who had never considered retirement a possibility once. He’s not...entirely retired either. Like he’d promised Stephen, he’s keeping involved. Every young superhero has him on speed dial and he keeps the suits tweaked, his body in as good condition as he can manage, because there always may be an emergency.

Still, he is retired. He lives most of his day in the comfortable home that he, Savannah and Stephen share. 

Savannah is an active kid. She always seems to be moving. She is turning into a bit of a sprinter these days, and it makes Tony laugh because sometimes he can’t keep up with her. He catches her in his arms and smiles, as she tries to wiggle away.

“Is Daddy coming home soon?” she asks, thinking, just like Tony is, about Stephen. He and his little girl are the same. Stephen is always on her mind. “I miss him.”

“You and me both, kiddo,” Tony says, as he glances at the wall clock. “He should be home any minute, honestly.”

Savannah, too young to read the clock, looks at it with a sassy skepticism. 

“Are you sure?” she asks.

“As sure as I can be,” Tony replies. 

Almost on cue, a portal opens on the wall just below the clock. Stephen steps through, waving to both of his favorite people in the world. Tony responds by setting Savannah down. 

“Hi there.”

Savannah shrieks, surprised as she always is when Stephen opens up a portal. “Daddy! We missed you!”

“I missed you too,” he says. He scoops her up. 

“We love you.”

“Well, I love you too.”


	9. Chapter 9

**#41 - Because of a Threat**

 

It was just a threat - quite possibly, an empty one. Stephen had defeated the demon, so it wasn’t like the threat could be acted upon. Yet, it stuck in his mind, the words snarled out of a devil’s mouth.

“Your daughter will pay for your crimes in blood.”

The mention of Savannah had fueled a rage and sealed the creature’s fate. There was no mercy in a father whose daughter had been menaced.  

Yet now, days later, with the creature dead and gone, the words linger in Stephen’s mind. “It’s stupid,” he tells Tony, pressing his face into Tony’s shoulder for the comfort his scent brings. “It was an idle threat and imps of that realm are known to pull personal facts from those they face. We keep Savannah hidden from the public, but we never denied having a child. Still, for that threat to be made…”

“It burns you inside,” Tony whispers. “To know that association with us could cause her any risk, even a stupid threat. Villain talk. We’ve heard it all.”

Stephen looks to Tony, pulling back from his shoulder and kisses him, so glad that his partner understands.

“I love you, Tony.”

 

**#42 - Because of a rescue**

 

Stephen always knew that Savannah’s games were going to be strange, given her family. He is watching as Tony rescues Savannah from a bad guy, one played by none other than their beloved Peter Parker.

“Help me Iron Man!” Savannah yells, even though it sounds far more like  _ I-won-man  _ to Stephen.

“Shoot your laser beams, Captain Sunshine!”

Savannah melts her daddy’s heart a little bit when Savannah raises her arms in a mimic of Tony’s repulsor beams, shooting and making small “pow-pow-woah!” sounds. 

Peter falls back dramatically.

“No!” he cries out. “Captain Sunshine saved herself!”

“Didn’t even need my help,” Tony laughs, and mouths, “I love you,” to the man on the sofa. “Maybe she can celebrate with Doctor Daddy.”

**#43 - Because of a swim**

 

Tony isn’t the biggest fan of the water, and never really has been. Yet, Savannah needs to learn to swim and the strangest family in the world is on a little vacation. “I don’t know how to do it,” Savannah says pointedly. “I don’t know how to swim.”

“Well, I know that,” Tony teases, from inside the swimming pool. Savannah stands on the edge, looking at Tony with an exasperated expression. Stephen sits near her, feet in the cool blue water. “That’s why we’re going to learn.”

Savanna shakes her head. “It’s big.”

Stephen kicks the water, smirking. “It’s not deeper than Papa,” he teases her. “That means it’s not too big.”

“I’ll catch you if you jump on in. It feels good.”

She takes a tiny leap.

Tony catches her as she lets out a squeal. 

“Now time for a lesson,” he says, as Stephen watches them and breaks into a smile, muttering, “I love you.”

**#44 - Because of the ocean**

 

Savanna learns to swim over the course of their vacation. She’s three years old and sloppy, but has the basics down in less than three days. She and Stephen walk along the beach, just close enough to the surf for the waves to lap at their feet. Savannah leans down, examining a bright spot in the sand. “Wait, Daddy look…” she says.

She digs for a moment with her fingers and unearths a battered old piece of shell. It’s not much to look at, but does glimmer in the sunshine. “Look at that,” he laughs. “You found a little piece of a shell.”

Savannah turns the shell over in her hands curiously. She isn’t vocalizing a question, but Stephen hears the question in her voice anyway. She is wondering what it is.

“It’s part of a creature’s home,” he says. “Sometimes the creature gives it up, or it gets broken away.”

“So big…” Savannah murmurs as she points out onto the ocean. There is a boy surfing in the distance and a few bodies bobbing along, closer to the shore, people swimming. “People swim there.”

“You’ll be able to, eventually,” Stephen promises. 

Tony meets them at the end of the beach. He’s wearing shorts and a ridiculous Iron Man themed t-shirt. 

“There are the loves of my life,” Tony said, as he pulled Savannah in his arms. “I love you two.”

  
  
  


**#45 - Because of snoring**

 

“What’s wrong with daddy?” Savannah asks.

Tony sighs at that. Stephen has absolutely exhausted himself again, magical exhaustion. It’s nothing new, but it’s annoying as hell - because, well, it worries him beyond belief. “He’s really, really sleepy,” he says.

Currently, Stephen is asleep in their bed. Savannah is watching him with eyes that are a little too wise for her age.

“He’s snoring,” Savannah points out, as if Tony cannot hear the tiny puffs of air coming from Stephen.  

“Sounds like a train doesn't he?” Tony asks.  “Go down and ask Uncle Rhodey to help you get changed and then we can snuggle the train until it wakes up, okay?”

Savannah beams. 

“Okay.”

Tony leans down and kisses the top of Stephen’s head. Rhodey agreed to stay over because he didn’t want to leave his husband’s side in this state. “I love you, you know that?” he mutters, pressing his lips against Stephen’s hair again. He relaxes, waiting for their baby girl to come back. 


	10. Chapter 10

**#46 - Because of Stress**

 

Peter Parker leads a difficult life. The kid is literally Spiderman, and that’s on top of the normal stressors that come with being eighteen years old. Tony sympathizes and he understands better than anyone when an anxiety attack takes over the kid he considers a son. Stephen has been there too, at the brink of a meltdown and pushed over by something stupid.

Afterwards, Peter is sitting closer than normal, a hand on Tony’s arm. He’s using it as an anchor. Stephen makes tea in the kitchen and listens to the pair of them speak. 

“I’m sorry I freaked out on you,” Peter murmurs. “It wasn’t your fault. It was just like something...snapped for a second.”

“Kid, I’ve been there, multiple times,” Tony says. 

“I don’t even know why I panicked like that,” Peter confesses. “I mean, yeah, a lot of stuff has been going on, but in that moment there was...nothing. You were just talking to me and everything got all tight.”

“Don’t try to rationalize it,” Tony suggests, love in every word. Stephen doesn’t even have to see them to see the worry in Tony’s words. Peter’s as much of a child to them as their own daughter. “I learned that a while ago. This kind of stuff just can’t be explained away…”

“Thank you for, you know, swooping in.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

Stephen decides then that it’s okay to come out with the tea. He brings the two mugs and sets them down in front of Tony and Peter.

Peter smiles.

“You okay?” Stephen asks.

Peter nods, but he does not let go of Tony. “Just a rough moment is all,” he assures, and Stephen sits down across from them.

“Drink that stuff,” Tony says to Peter, mouthing the words  _ I love you  _ to his husband. “It’s magic.”

“Wait, magic magic?”

 

**#47 - Because of Mentorship**

 

Tony and Peter testing new technology in the lab is nothing new to Stephen.  No, what’s new to Stephen is finding himself literally webbed to the wall in a tech accident. He had just gone down to check on the pair while they were working out some bugs in Peter’s web shooters. That had been his mistake.

Stephen blinks and when his eyes were open again, he is pinned to the wall with the strongest version of the web fluid he’s seen yet.

“Really?” he asks the two of them.

Peter’s eyes widen. “Oh, wow, look, it worked!”

He tests the strength of the webbing, wriggling and nods, groaning. “Yes, Peter,” Stephen says. “I do believe that it works. Now can you two please let me down.”

“I dunno,” Tony teases, once he manages to stop cracking up. “It is a pretty good look on you, Doc. I like you all tied up…”

“Ew, way too much information,” Peter responds, suddenly mortified. He runs across the lab and grabs a container of something. The teen quickly sprays the sides of the web with a clear fluid and they drop Stephen to the ground. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to use you as a test subject. It just kind of happened…”

“You’re lucky that I love you two.”

 

**#48 - Because of a Weird Family.**

 

With a young daughter, and one as curious as Savannah, a man has to expect questions. Still, Stephen has to admit it can get a little aggravating when the usual barrage of toddler questions is thrown at him. He’s patient, he adores Savannah’s brilliance, but still, he tires. Impressively enough, Tony doesn’t.

 

“Why does Dani have a mommy and a daddy?”

Tony just smiles and answers her question about her new best friend. “Well,” he says with a grin. “Dani’s mommy and daddy love each other very much. They got married, just like me and your daddy and had their baby Dani.”

“But I have two daddies…”

“Yep,” Tony says, yawning and cuddling their girl close. “You have two daddies who love you a lot.”

“Does Peter have a mommy or a daddy?”

“Yes, but his mommy and daddy are gone. They died when he was little.” Stephen admires the bluntness that his husband speaks with. He is not the type to coddle Savannah, even to protect her. “So, he has other family to take care of him and love him. He has daddies…”

“He shares my daddies…”

“Mhm.” Tony looks over, sees Stephen’s looking and smiles. “He also has his aunt, and he has the best sister ever.”

“Did you have a mommy and daddy?”

The look on Tony’s face darkens, but he answers evenly. He does not seem too bothered. “My parents died too,” he says, nodding. “But you know what happened?”

“Other family took care of you?” Savannah fills in.

Tony nods, and he meets Stephen’s eyes again. “Uncle Rhodey and Auntie Pepper came in and helped me grow up,” he said. “Then later, I met your Avenger family and your daddy. Family comes in all shapes and sizes…”

“Weird shapes?” Savannah asks. That kid’s favorite word lately is  _ weird  _ and Stephen and Tony can’t blame her.

“Yep. And I love my weird family.”

 

**#49 - Because of Questions**

“Why do you do magic?” 

The question surprises Stephen and he can’t help smile. His daughter is full of questions, some of them silly, but some of them so deep that it knocks the breath out of him. 

“I...that is a good question, Savannah dear.” 

“Why?”

“I learned how several years ago,” he says, trying to give her a simplified, but honest answer. “I met a Sorcerer who taught me how to...use magic, so that I can help people.”

“Can Papa do magic?”

Stephen laughs at that. “Not like I can,” he says. “He never learned and some people aren’t meant to do it. But, he does magic of his own. I think his inventions are a sort of magic.”

“I love both your magic.”

“I love it too,” Stephen says, “and I love you.”

 

**#50 - Because of a Dream**

Stephen cannot predict the future. As much access as he’s had to it in the past, there are infinite possibilities, and each choice a person makes in life splinters the future into millions more. Yet, one night, when he falls asleep on the sofa with his daughter tucked against his chest, he has a dream.

He dreams of the future, of growing old with Tony, of watching their kids grow. He dreams of spending every limited second he has on earth with Tony there, watching with those beautiful dark eyes of his.

He dreams of Savannah and Peter and the future generations of their family.

When he wakes up from the dream, he sees the recovered time stone in the back of his mind. It is glowing. Stephen knows the future is good.

Tony sees Stephen wake up and joins he and Savannah on the couch. “I loved watching you two tonight,” he says, as Stephen shifts his daughter over to one side of his shoulder. “I could tell you were having a good dream.”

“How?”

“There was a goofy smile on your face. What were you dreaming of, handsome?”

“The future, and how our love is going to last forever.”

“Damn right it is.”

“I...I love you Tony.”

“I love you too.” 

  
  



End file.
